Canadian space technology: Microflow

Uploaded on April 15, 2013

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Canadian space technology: Microflow

2013-04-15 - CSA astronaut Chris Hadfield debuts Microflow, a Canadian technology that can analyze blood samples in space or at any given remote location. Capable of providing a diagnosis in a matter of minutes, the microwave-sized Microflow is poised to make a big contribution to remote medicine. (Credits: Canadian Space Agency, NASA)

Chris Hadfield:
 

Hi. Chris Hadfield, Canadian Space Agency astronaut, here onboard the International Space Station. I want to talk to you about a Canadian experiment onboard that's called Microflow. One of the things we need to know about living in space is human health. What happens to astronauts and also, how can we use this laboratory to better understand human health on Earth.

One of our big problems is: How do we analyze our blood samples when we are up here on a remote international space station?

Canadian researchers and Canadian companies have come together to design something that they call Microflow. And it does just that. You can see, it's about the size of a toaster. It weights about 10 kilograms. But it's a fully functionning flow cytometer. It takes a sample of blood, runs it through fiber optic, uses a laser to analyse it, it looks at the individual cell level, giving us a reading and understanding of what's going on internally to our bodies in just ten minutes. All in this compact package.

Great application for us in space. Great capability to better understand what's going on here. But at the same time of course, at great technology that's been developped that can be used back at home on Earth, for people that live on remote communities, or for people that need small or less expensive equipment to travel to hospitals and clinics all across the country.

Canadian invention, Canadian technology, here onboad the International Space Station. Microflow.

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